If you want to create a 2017 monthly client development program in your firm, here are monthly topics you might consider. I recommend starting in December so that your January topic is preparing a plan.

December: StrengthsFinder 2.0 A lawyer’s business plan should take into account his or her strengths. If you are interested, here is a blog I wrote about my own strengths:

In January, I will start my 13th year of client development coaching. I’ve worked with 100s of incredibly motivated lawyers in the US and Canada.

Many of you are subscribers. I want each of you to know that while I loved practicing law, working with you has brought me even more satisfaction as I have seen you take your practice to the next level.

Is your firm considering a client development coaching program for 2017? If so, I’m available. I’m looking to coach lawyers in five new firms in 2017. Here’s how it will work.

I will come to your office either quarterly, or every other month and coach 6-7 lawyers individually and put on a lunch program for all in the office who want to participate.

Each lawyer will create a business plan for 2017 and each time I meet with them we will end our session with a 60 Days or 90 Days Action Plan. In the first group lunch, the group will create goals for 2017 and an action plan to achieve them.

The two main criteria for a successful client development coaching program are:

Selecting the right people to participate, (I can only help highly motivated lawyers, not those who “need” coaching) and

Having the unfettered support of firm leadership.

Young partners or senior associates selected should have a strong desire to develop business, expand client relationships and develop their reputation. They should be open to coaching and trying new ideas. They should be comfortable getting outside their comfort zone.

Second, to be successful, firm leadership must support the program and ensure it is supported by lower level leaders in the firm. In this way it can be a win-win for the selected lawyers and for the firm.

Purpose-Why are you creating a client development coaching program? Firm leaders need to clearly articulate the purpose, focus, or mission of the project and it must be aligned with the participants’ personal wants and needs. This might include providing maximum opportunities for them to develop their individual practice and to work synergistically as a team

Challenge-Participants need to set challenging individual and team goals that stretch them.

Camaraderie-Participants should feel like a team, get to know each other well, learn from each other and think synergistically.

Accountability-Each participant must be hold themselves accountable and also be accountable to their group members and the coach.

Responsibility-Participants must take responsibility for their success and the group’s success.

Growth-The program should include learning and growth. If participants feel they are moving forward, learning new concepts, adding to their skill base, and stretching their minds, motivation will remain high.

Leadership-Participants should lead group meetings held without the coach because the teachers always learn more than the students.

Here is the most interesting thing I have experienced in the 12 years I have been coaching lawyers: If the first coaching group is successful, there is a “buzz” around the firm and firm lawyers are most anxious to get selected for the second group.

The firms where I have coached over many years, routinely have more lawyers apply than they have slots for each coaching group.

As you will see, I like to include both a group component and individual coaching. The lawyers in the group feel like a team and no one wants to let the team down.

If you want to learn more about the program described above including the cost, check out the Work with Me page and then give me a call at 214.305.3121, or send me an email. I would be happy to share with you the cost and answer any questions you have.

I was really impressed by her deliberate practice on her putting. She was working on putts of about 10 feet and reading each one, lining it up and putting. (I’m always too impatient for that kind of focused practice.)

Back to my story: When I looked at the girl’s team golf bag, I think I saw Class of 2021. When I did the math on my fingers later, I realized if what I saw was correct she was not even in high school yet.

So, here is a young teenage girl focused like a laser beam on improving her putting. I was impressed.

I remember just like it was yesterday, standing at the top of the Dallas Magnolia Hotel, December 31, 1999, wondering if the Y2K problem would totally mess up our law firm’s computers.

What’s the point? Time passes so very quickly. So, as you approach 2017, I have a self-assessment for you to evaluate how you are doing on client development.

Do you set goals for client development each year and have a plan to achieve them?

Do you plan time each week for client development activities?

Are you focused about your contacts with clients, potential clients or people who can refer business to you?

Do you regularly visit/meet with clients just to find out what is going on in their business?

When you see an article, book or seminar that may be of interest to clients, do you forward/send it to them?

When you finish a project do you follow up and seek feedback on your performance?

Do you ask questions and listen well when visiting with clients?

Do you read your clients’ trade publications?

Do you know your clients’ industry, business and strategy?

Do you know your client representatives personally, including names of their family members, their assistant’s name, their interests outside of work and their values?

Between the US Thanksgiving and New Years day I was rarely busy with legal work, and at some point I got bored watching bowl games that didn’t matter. So, I spent time preparing for the next year. I recommend you prepare now.

In November, 2008, after President Obama was elected I wrote: Are you ready for change? I don’t remember protests across the country from those who voted for John McCain or didn’t vote. After our recent election I looked back at that post. If you have a moment, you might go back and read it.

Greetings from West Palm Beach, Florida, where the weather is pretty awesome. I’m here for the last coaching sessions with a group of lawyers I have coached this year. One thing we’ll talk about is what separates the superstar lawyers from the stars.

Several years ago, I spoke to first year associates during their law firm orientation. Right before the conclusion of my presentation, I asked for questions. A very astute first year lawyer who had listened intently asked:

What is the difference between lawyers who are stars and lawyers who are superstars? (My paraphrase of the question).

The young lawyer’s question caused me to remember that about 20 years ago David Maister wrote a chapter about dynamos, cruisersand losers in his book True Professionalism.

I went back to the chapter and read what he said about cruisers. First he indicated that we all cruise at sometime in our career. Then, he said:

Cruising means working at what you are already good at, and in consequence usually means a low-stress comfortable work life.

Finally he wrote:

The difference between Dynamos and Cruisers is rarely one of ability. Rather, it is one of attitude.

Here is what I have seen when successful lawyers are not getting better. They do some or all of the following:

Become content with their achievement

Focus on what they already know rather than what they don’t know

Quit doing the things that got them to $1 Million a year in business

Take clients for granted

Quit trying to attract new clients

Become cautious, like a sports team with a lead playing not to lose

Refuse to share credit with their colleagues

Do not look for opportunities to add value for their clients with work the firm does outside their practice area.

Let any disappointment or setback cripple them

Fail to keep up with changes in the legal profession

In essence, they simply begin their retirement on the job. They are cruising.

Superstar lawyers I know view a great year to be an event not an achievement. The achievement comes from continuing to strive to get better.

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree.

Which road shall I take? She asked.

His response was a question:

Where do you want to go?

I don’t know, Alice answered.

Then, said the cat, it doesn’t matter.

While most of your clients seem to have no trouble articulating where they want to go, why is your law firm or practice group like Alice?

Most law firm web pages look alike.

They are “full service firms” who represent both large companies and small ones.

They are experienced and responsive, and provide exceptional service (usually as defined by them).

They are typically strategically located to better serve those large and small clients.

They all provide “innovative solutions” to business problems.

I could go on, but my point is to simply say, they all look alike.

Let’s look at other service entities for ideas. When I stay at a Four Seasons Hotel, I am amazed by the level of service at all levels in the hotel.

Years ago, I was in Houston for a meeting. As I ate my dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel bar, I looked down I noticed the hem on my suit pants had come undone.

I went to the front desk and asked if for safety pins, or a sewing kit. I was told the hotel seamstress had finished her workday. That took me by surprise. I had never imagined the hotel would have a seamstress.

The manager told me to go to my room and wait for someone to bring me a sewing kit. A few minutes later an older Mexican American lady knocked on my door. She greeted me with a big smile. When she saw my trousers, she gave me that knowing grin as if to say: “I know you are a man and you don’t know how to sew worth a darn.” She pointed and asked me for my trousers.

Twenty minutes later she returned to my room with the cuff to my trousers sewn to perfection. That is service.

Afterward, I wanted to better understand how Four Seasons did it and I found the Four Seasons philosophy:

A Shared Spirit: Four Seasons strategy is simple. Hire motivated people, train them to be the best they can be, and offer them an environment in which to flourish.

As Practice Group Leader of a Construction Law Practice Group, I made sure our group clearly understood what we wanted to become.

Because of the experience and background of our lawyers we decided to focus on representing contractors primarily engaged in constructing large civil construction projects; including highways, airports, mass transit, power, dams, stadiums, etc.

Our purpose was to enable or to help our clients build great projects while achieving their business objectives. We have hired lawyers who had a construction background, civil engineering or construction management undergraduate degree, or who exhibited a passion for the construction industry.

We sought ways to differentiate ourselves from our competitors, including making efforts to be “first to market” on whatever happened to be the cutting edge legal issue affecting the industry.

We were among the first construction practice groups to have newsletters for clients and to conduct in-house workshops for clients. Several of us have written legal columns in trade magazines or for association newsletters. These were all things we decided we wanted to be.

I mention all these things, not to suggest that any other law firm or practice group adopt any of them, but to simply point out the importance of deciding what you want your practice group or law firm to become.

Without thinking about what you want, deciding and then articulating what you want, you will likely be like Alice and it won’t really matter which way you go.

I’ve coached several lawyers this year whose focus in our coaching sessions is broader than just client development. They’ve been interested on the intersection of their career and their life as fathers and mothers.

I shared a blog about our daughter Jill that I posted four years ago and since many of you were not reading my blog back then I wanted to share it with you again.

Why should you set goals for your career and life? Setting goals gives you a strong sense of where you want to go and will help you:

Imagine arriving on the outskirts of a large city and being told to drive to a particular home or office there. But there are no road signs and you have no map. In fact, all you have is a very general description of the home or office, so finding it would be very much a matter of luck. Sadly, this is the way most people live their lives.

As you may know, my daughter Jill teaches special education. As she explains in this guest post, growing up with me pushing her to set goals was a bit of a challenge. On the other hand, she is doing what she set as a life goal many years ago.

When I was growing up my father made me set goals every year and write them down. (He also made me write book reports during the summer). He spent what then seemed like countless hours lecturing me on the importance of setting goals in my life. He always said it is important to be aiming at something you think is important.

Oh, he used to drive me crazy. I felt like I was one of the young lawyers who worked for him and who he was trying to inspire to be a great lawyer. For a long time, I rejected what he was telling me. I would prove to him I could be successful without writing down goals.

I never realized what an impact he had on me until a few years ago. While looking through some old papers I found a list of lifetime goals I had written in high school. (I never told my father I had actually written down goals as he had suggested.) I had not thought about these written goals in many years.

When I looked, I saw that my number one lifetime goal was to become a special education teacher. I had achieved my number one goal! I was excited when I found I had actually done what I had set out to do years before!

My father advocated coming up with goals every year and having lifetime goals. Each year, I write 10 professional goals and right beside them 10 things I want to do in my “real life”—life outside of school.

My “real life” goals can be financial, spiritual or things to do with my family. One of the reasons I write down my goals side by side is because, as I learned from my father, both parts of my life are equally important. As teachers, we often forget that we have lives outside of school because we spend so much time working during the school year.

I think Jill’s approach is one that would also work for you. I guess that is natural for me to say since it is based on me “driving her crazy” while she was growing up.

When you develop lifetime goals, annual goals, five-year goals – do you continually check to see how you’re doing, or do you review them periodically at specific intervals – for example, every six months?

Here is a short version of my answer:

Both. And I’m always reviewing and changing them. At the time I was interviewed I had 100 lifetime goals. (Note: in 2016 my bucket list is down to 82 lifetime goals).

Based in part on what author Brian Tracy suggests, I urge lawyers to sit down and write down their 10 goals for the year. Then, without looking at their previous list, sit down the next day and write down 10 goals for the year. Do this two weeks. At the end of two weeks, compare the lists and when the goals appear on pretty much all of the daily lists, it’s a pretty sure indication that the goal is a priority.

When I was young, I wrote my goals on a sheet of legal paper and I kept the folded paper in my suit coat pocket. And when I was on a plane or waiting someplace, I’d take the sheet of paper out and revisit my goals.

To me goals are not static. They change as circumstances change and I create short term goals every 30-90 days. So, don’t be afraid to revisit your yearly goals throughout the year.

How does it apply to you? Lawyers rarely have an ‘if” problem, because when clients need a lawyers help, they need the help.

But, lawyers frequently have a ‘then’ problem. You must demonstrate to your potential clients that ‘you’ are the lawyer they should hire. How can you do that?

I have written many times that you should understand your clients’ business and industry. Your potential clients rarely know whether you are a top notch lawyer, but they always know if you understand their business and industry.

The Practical Lawyer – “How To” articles for lawyers

Practical Tips on Being on the Top of Mind When Potential Clients Need a Lawyer

Next Speaking Engagement

Archives

Archives

About Cordell

Drawing on 36 years of experience as a construction law rainmaker, Cordell Parvin works with lawyers and law firms to develop the next generation of great attorneys. He guides lawyers in finding the right attitude, setting appropriate goals, developing strategies for time management and building networking skills. Read More